English menu stir fries food for thought

Badly translated English phrases often seen on the menus of small Chinese restaurants are a running joke among English speakers in Beijing. Some of the mangled phrases are hilarious. So the Beijing municipal government's foreign affairs office and the Beijing tourism bureau have done something to try to correct the sometimes bizarre phraseology. The two agencies have jointly published a book, "Chinese Menu-English Version." There are 170 listing the names of Chinese and Western dishes and beverages, in English.

A few humorous examples of mistranslation include the "Mouth Watered Chicken". The actual menu offering was "Special flavored shredded chicken". Here's another: "Tofu Made by Woman with Freckles." What is it really? It's Stir-Fried Tofu in Hot Sauce.

The mistranslation arises because many Chinese words express ideas obliquely, so they can be interpreted in many different ways. That creates a minefield for non-native English speakers. The book lists 2000 Chinese dishes, staple foods, appetizers, desserts and beverages, all rendered into non-risible English.

The book will no doubt come in handy at restaurants that depend on translation software for English names. Special effort has been taken to promote the transliterations of items like Jiaozi, Baozi, Zongzi, Mantou and Huajuan. The rationale is clear, these items have subtle differences that cannot be conveyed with "dumpling" or "bun".

The translations will be recommended to all Beijing restaurants.